The National Football League is the biggest show in American sports, and this fall it feels bigger than ever. Thirty-two franchises across two conferences and eight divisions, each playing a 17-game schedule for a shot at twelve playoff berths and one trip to the Super Bowl. This is your front door to every team we cover: one directory, one tap away, with the stories behind the records.
The 2026 season opened on September 9 with the Seahawks edging the Patriots in a defensive opener, and three weeks in the picture is coming into focus. At the top sits the Buffalo Bills, 3-0 and ranked No. 1 in most national power polls after a 24-16 Week 3 win over the Chargers at the brand-new Highmark Stadium. Buffalo survived five turnovers in that one — the latest proof that with Josh Allen, no game is ever out of reach. Allen is the early MVP favorite: through three games he has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 786 yards and five touchdowns, and he leads the league with six rushing scores. He is the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to run for multiple touchdowns in three straight games, and his Monday-night-caliber heroics have the Bills looking like the team to beat — and, at some sportsbooks, the favorite to win the Super Bowl.
Buffalo is not alone among the unbeaten. The San Francisco 49ers (3-0) opened the season by dismantling the Rams 27-7 and sit atop ESPN’s Football Power Index. The Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) are doing what they do. The Minnesota Vikings (3-0) look like the class of the NFC North, and the Las Vegas Raiders (3-0) are the season’s loudest early surprise. Behind them, the Seattle Seahawks (2-1), Denver Broncos (2-1) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) have all made their cases as contenders.
The individual storylines are just as rich. In Carolina, fourth-year quarterback Bryce Young leads the entire NFL in passing with 939 yards (313 per game) — a stunning turnaround for the 2023 No. 1 pick — though a lower-body injury suffered in Week 3’s 21-18 loss at Cleveland has him undergoing imaging ahead of Sunday Night Football against Detroit. In Baltimore, Lamar Jackson posted a league-best 94.0 QBR in Week 3 while running mate Derrick Henry is on a historic tear: six rushing touchdowns through three games, which tied Ray Rice for second in Ravens history (37) and moved Henry past Eric Dickerson for ninth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list. The Ravens went to Rio de Janeiro and beat the Cowboys at the Maracanã in Week 3, and Henry now gets his former team — the Titans — at home in Week 4. In Atlanta, Michael Penix Jr. returned from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 season and carved up the Packers for 256 yards in a 35-14 Thursday-night win, becoming the fastest Falcons quarterback to reach 3,000 passing yards; Bijan Robinson ran for 194 yards and Drake London caught nine balls for 194 in the same game.
Division by division, here is the lay of the land entering Week 4. In the AFC East, Buffalo is in full control at 3-0 while the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins all sit 1-2 or worse — and the Bills get the Patriots at home Sunday. The AFC North is a four-team street fight: Cleveland leads at 3-1, the Ravens and Bengals are 2-1, and the Steelers are 2-2. Jacksonville (2-1) leads the AFC South behind one of the league’s best defenses, with the Colts, Titans and Texans chasing. And the AFC West has the Chiefs and Raiders both unbeaten at 3-0, with Denver 2-1 lurking.
In the NFC, Philadelphia and the New York Giants share the NFC East lead at 2-1. Minnesota (3-0) rules the NFC North, with the 2-1 Bears keeping pace despite losing Caleb Williams to a hamstring injury — veteran Case Keenum’s 247-yard, three-touchdown gem beat the Eagles on Monday night, and Chicago hosts the Jets in Week 4 with Keenum or Tyson Bagent under center. The NFC South is chaos: the Panthers, Saints and Falcons are all 1-2, and winless Tampa Bay’s quarterback Baker Mayfield is out at least three weeks with a dislocated hand. San Francisco (3-0) leads the NFC West, Seattle (2-1) close behind.
What comes next is a loaded Week 4. The Patriots visit Buffalo on Sunday afternoon with the Bills as touchdown favorites. The Falcons travel to New Orleans for Monday Night Football. The Lions visit the Panthers on Sunday night. The Bears host the Jets, and the Ravens welcome the Titans — Derrick Henry’s first game against the franchise where he became a legend.
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